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On the plus side, the Germans are struggling too!

From Dominic King

THE front page of yesterday’s Leipziger Volkszeitung was dominated by Germany’s footballers but not for the reasons many envisaged.

With the World Cup creeping ever closer, Germany’s final home game before business begins in Qatar was always going to carry huge significance. The expectation, clearly, was that Hungary would be comprehensively dispatched and a message would be sent to their rivals.

What transpired, however, was a display so bland and one-dimensional that the 37,000 home fans let their feelings be known in shrill fashion, prompting the headline: ‘Verpatzt — Pfiffe in Leipzig.’ Translated, it referenced the whistles of disapproval that broke out both at half-time and the end.

England might have problems but this first loss of the Hansi Flick era suggested Germany, who travel to Wembley tomorrow, have plenty of their own issues to solve if they are to stand a chance of conquering the world once more.

‘It was disappointing because we wanted more from this game,’ Antonio Rudiger told The Mail on Sunday. ‘In the first half, we lost the battle against them. They were winning all the duels and second balls and we were making so many mistakes.’

Rudiger, now of Real Madrid, will not be involved at Wembley as a booking against Hungary triggered a suspension. But it didn’t stop him providing an honest appraisal of the situation. He kept shaking his head as he spoke about the first half that sparked the noisy derision.

‘In all honesty, that corner they scored from? You cannot concede a goal like that at this level,’ he grumbled, referring to the way Hungary captain Adam Szalai left his markers and guided a looping back heel into the far post, thus ending Germany’s hopes of progressing in the Nations League.

‘We definitely have something to do, especially against the teams who sit back very deep and defend. To be fair to them, they defended well. Tactically, they were well prepared. But this was the last [camp] where you can still improve.

‘It’s not like being at your club, where you can train every day. After Monday, we go back to our clubs for six or seven weeks and then that is it until everything starts. We will not be together too much. So we do have to learn lessons from this game, absolutely.’

Listening to Rudiger, it was impossible not to think back four years and remember an interview Mats Hummels conducted with The MoS on the eve of the World Cup in Russia, during which he warned that he could feel trouble coming.

‘If we want it, we have got to work for this and focus,’ Hummels said. ‘If we want to win something at the World Cup? It is possible [we will be OK] but it is not something that comes by doing nothing. We’ve got to improve a lot.’

Germany failed to make it out of their group in 2018 and, while it would be a surprise if that happened in Qatar, should their form of 2022 persist Flick will have his work cut out negotiating a way past Spain, Japan and Costa Rica.

From seven fixtures this calendar year, there have been four 1-1 draws. Hungary might be the only loss — and Germany aren’t the first team to be frustrated by their back five — but the timing was poor.

Timo Werner, hoping to flourish at his home ground, resembled the player who struggled at Chelsea when running into spaces but failing to convert. Leroy Sane was worryingly subdued while Kai Havertz had no impact when he was introduced.

Only the consistently outstanding Joshua Kimmich appeared to get near the levels expected and what will have caused Flick anxiety is how vulnerable Germany looked when Hungary countered late on — something that Gareth Southgate will have studied at length.

What it all means is that the stakes at Wembley have suddenly increased. England are desperate for a confidence-boosting success but so, too, are their long-standing adversaries.

‘For us, this is a very, very important game,’ Oliver Bierhoff, Germany’s national team director, told The MoS. ‘I know how high the motivation for England will be. They will not want to lose and this is a prestige game — like it always is between Germany and England.

‘It’s a great chance for us to get some confidence and a good result. We need to show everyone that we can do certain things.

‘It will be very important how the players arrive at the World Cup. We have just a week’s preparation. I won’t overvalue the game at Wembley. But I will say this — it is important for the future, for both teams.’

World Cup Countdown

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2022-09-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://mailonline.pressreader.com/article/284258124124254

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